Anyone know if it would be possible to install the new viewfinder on an old EX1?

Not sure, but look into the Hoodman EX1 LCD Viewfinder kit.

I'm aware of the Hoodman lcd unit. It would be interesting to know though if you could just replace the existing one with one with some actual resolution.

I'm sure it would involve more than "just replacing" the old viewfinder. Does the new viewfinder fit the old handle? I can't really tell how different it is from the photos I've seen so far. But there would no doubt be a different circuit board and firmware change.

Maybe Sony will offer this as an upgrade if we send the camera in? Probably would not be cheap. If the price were reasonable though, I might be interested myself.

I assume the new viewfinder is the same as the Z7 and Z5? I was a bit torn between the Z7 and EX1 myself last summer so I went to B&H and spent a little time playing with both. I was a little disappointed with the Z7 finder when I actually saw it. From the specs, I thought it would look better, but the image seemed a bit contrasty and the frame was smaller than I expected. Nevertheless, it is a big improvement over the EX1 viewfinder which is the same as the Z1 and pretty useless IMO.

Probably be cheaper to trade in an original EX1 for an EX1R.

If you did indeed have to mess around with the circuit board and firmware it probably wouldn't be worth the trouble. But if you could just swap out one for the other it would be a bargain. I emailed Sony for the price of the evf for the Z7 and they quoted $134.76.

Not sure, but look into the Hoodman EX1 LCD Viewfinder kit.

Speaking of the Hoodman EX1 Kit (as they call it), I love it. I've recently found myself shooting a lot more with the EX1 instead of the EX3 and this has been the first time I've really used the Hoodman viewfinder that I bought a few weeks ago.

The "kit" comes as a bunch of separately packaged components without any instructions of how it all goes together, so I encourage you to watch the brief tutorial on their website to see how to make it all work. It only took a couple of minutes to put together once I had seen it done.
HOODMAN EX1 KIT-Hoodman Corporation (http://www.hoodmanusa.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HEX1KIT)

Okay, you’ll immediately notice that the new Hoodman viewfinder is 1000% better than the built-in viewfinder of the EX1. But what I didn’t expect is how much easier the camera is to hand-hold with the Hoodman viewfinder. That was a bonus I was not expecting, and to be honest, has become almost as important as the optical improvement it provides.

Using the Hoodman viewfinder brings the camera much closer to your body and allows you to cradle the camera close to your face instead of holding it several inches out in front of your body. It’s hard to describe in words, but I’m sure anyone who has used the Hoodman knows what I’m talking about.

I'd say it's kind of like the difference between awkwardly using Live View on a heavy D-SLR vs. using the optical viewfinder. The change in ergonomics really makes a big difference in how steady you can be and how long you can shoot.

Also, I flip the built-in viewfinder vertically to get it out of my way and then I use it as a brace against my temple. Again, this extra point of contact just makes the camera that much easier to hold steady. I’d say it has the same basic effect as using the cheek pad on the EX3.

With SteadyShot turned on and using the Hoodman, the camera is practically as steady as a tripod.

Bottom line is that if you have an EX1, you should think about getting the Hoodman EX1 kit. Best $150 accessory you can buy for your camera.

I emailed Sony for the price of the evf for the Z7 and they quoted $134.76.

Well for a price like that it would be a no-brainer. But I can't imagine you can plug in a totally different LCD panel and go about your business like nothing happened! I hope you're right though.

Looking a little deeper into this... On Sony's site they list the EX1R viewfinder as "0.452-inch* type color LCD: 85 (H) x 480 (V), 16:9". (Sony Product Detail Page - PMWEX1R (http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-PMWEX1R/)). Heh, I think they left a digit off the horizontal spec there, should be something like 852x480 and not 85x480.

Regardless, the specs in my EX1 manual say the viewfinder is 0.54-inch diagonal. So the panels are not even the same size. That is bound to effect a number of things, including the optics.

The specs for the Z7 also list a 0.45-inch viewfinder with 852x480.

How does this new hoodman LCD extender compare to the hood pro sock lens? And can it be used with glasses? I like the sock accessory but the lens can shift out of focus, usually at the worst time.

Have you seen this long thread? That would be a better place to discuss the Hoodman... http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdcam-ex-cinealta/378828-hoodman-ex1-kit-improved-lcd-viewing.html